The race is on for in-flight mobile phones

phones under testing....but wait! But, but, but, the US gummint said the passengers on those 9-11 flights were making cell phone calls to the ground! Strange.

Thats because the people on the 9-11 flights where flying over the ground, where there are mobile phone masts (including one ON the WTC), there arent as many in the middle of the sea..

Well, fun fact...

Cell phones DO actualy work on planes and they DON'T interrupt transmissions between aircraft and control towers at all. The fact that they are banned on planes is because at that altitude, the amount of space on the network the phone call takes up (I don't remember the exact technical aspects of this, just bear with me) increases substantialy. This is okay if only a couple people do it, but if it were permitted, it would be likely people would be using their cell phones the whole flight as some are wont to do. This would cause IMMENSE strain on the cell phone networks thus crippling them. Obviously, we can't have that.

The reason they give the BS excuse they do is because if the real reason were given, people (especialy the jackasses who talk on their cellphones all the time) would think "Oh, well I'm more important than anyone else so I'll just make the call anyway, who cares if I fuck over the network" and no one would listen. Giving them the BS excuse of "put away your cell phone or this plane will crash" makes them think that their own personal safety is at risk thus aking them think twice. Since a lot of people are horribly selfish this is the way to make them stop. Psychology at work.

This new cell phone invention probably just fixes the high-altitude bandwidth (or whatever it is) problem.

The more you know...

i wonder how many electronic devices actually have ever interfered with airplane instrumentation. i fly a ton.

deathbringer said:

Thats because the people on the 9-11 flights where flying over the ground, where there are mobile phone masts (including one ON the WTC), there arent as many in the middle of the sea..

According to industry experts, the crucial link in wireless cell phone transmission from an aircraft is altitude. Beyond a certain altitude which is usually reached within a few minutes after takeoff, cell phone calls are no longer possible.

Personaly i think cell phones should be banned on planes, and in a number of public places.

i do love it when restraunts ban them, and kick out people who use them. hospitals ban them too.

i hate it when a customer comes up and starts talking only for them to get a call and tell me to hold on. then they get mad when i walk away after they yapped on for 5 minutes. if it is important, excuse yourself. i could only imagine the annoyance of cell phones on a 8+hour long flight, once bordom set in for these people.

also i think they should be banned while driving.

Sephiroth said:

(...) I think (cell phones) should be banned while driving.

Hear, hear! I'm almost afraid to learn to drive (17 and still no learner's permit) with all these cell-phone chatters clogging up the streets.

They better not put phones on planes. There's already enough noise. I don't wanna hear some gimp talking about the zipper over his mouth to a redneck sadist.

yeah, the cell phone issue is mostly "just in case" no one wants to take chances right?